Rear rack with basket
 

Good morning, good day, or good evening, wherever y'all may be. :)

I am highly likely to add a rear rack on my Norco Cityglide very soon. However, I do not want to use panniers. I simply want to mount a smallish basket of some sort to the top of the rack and bungee net the contents in place when it's being used. No milk crates. :D

Rides with the basket/rack will be 5 miles or less.

I'm interested in what set ups some of you have that are similar to what I want to do?

Have a nice evening (my workday is soon ending.)

Whenever I buy a product, I always look at the gold standard and see why it's the gold standard.

Then I try to emulate the best points with my budget in consideration.

I would consider tubus to be that gold standard and would start my search there for racks.

https://www.tubus.com/produkte/

For attachments, I would start with Rixen & Kaul.

https://klickfix.com/en/#slide-3

https://klickfix.com/en/products/

and select "Carrier" as the attachment point.

Prices are reasonable but you might want something less expensive. Quality is unsurpassed.

Blackburn Local Basket

This one looks interesting to me. I don't have the basket model but do have 2 of the local deluxe racks. All have versatile mounting options and height adjustable. Can be mounted on front or rear.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d294c69349.jpg

Also, you can use a Wald basket attached to any rear rack as lots of folks do. A milk crate mounted on the rack works as well and is cheapest option.
I like the permanent nature of the Blackburn basket, its adjustability, and ulock holder, myself.

I love Wald folding baskets with a bungee cargo net, but that's not what you're asking.

I really like the design of that Wald folding basket set up. The low center of gravity with cargo aboard would be optimum. I just don't need to carry that much.

All I plan to do is carry something small from the local drug store, maybe grocery store, or picking up some breakfast for the family on my way back home after a morning ride.

Right now, I carry things in a plastic shopping bag hanging off a handle bar end. The bag swaying and thoughts of the bag ripping are a bit annoying. :lol:

You can use zip ties to attach almost any basket to any rack. If you have a bag you like, I'd pick a basket to fit the bag. This is a Wald 137 basket and Timbuk2 medium messenger bag, and it fits nice and tight:

https://i.imgur.com/rxoFAKZ.jpg

I prefer the basket up front, but you can do the same setup on the rear. When I have an extra large load (e.g. 2 bags of groceries), I can strap the messenger bag to my back and fill the basket with other stuff.

One other tip: for best handling, you want the weight of the rear load as far forward as possible without hitting your legs when you pedal.

Topeak rack has a nice attachment system for their baskets, panniers, trunks etc. to attach to their racks. The basket just slides on to the rack and locks in. It's great if you want to occasionally use a basked but don't want the hassle of figuring out how to bungee it or use zip ties every time.

That said, on my old bike the rack was close enough to the seat that putting a basket on left very little clearance between it and the seat. I didn't like it. My current bike has a longer wheel base and the rack sits further back from the seat, so it's probably ok but I don't have the topeak rack to fit my basket any more.

what ever you find aesthetic, can be . Attached with Zip ties , which are free, at bike shops.

because new bikes are packed for shipping using a lot of them..


I got a Paul comp flatbed front rack .. their image ..https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d4/1e...6027b6d06c.jpg

That looks a nice set up. :) I wonder if it shakes and rattles much when mounted? :foo:
https://www.topeak.com/us/en/product...c)-(w-o-spring)
https://www.topeak.com/us/en/product...tx-basket-rear

Easy to slide the basket off the rack and go into a store with. Fill it up with exactly what fits and no more. Pay, slide it back on the rack and pedal away. :speedy:

I do have hundreds of zip ties on hand due to my job. Could come in handy! :)

Stuff I put in the basket would shake and rattle, but the basket to rack interface is a pretty solid.

My daily commuter has a rear basket and a green guru pannier. That sounds like overkill for the OP.

My back u p commuter/going to the pub with a little side dirt set (swobo mutineer) up has a PDW take out basket and bag, which is very handy for just getting some lunch back to the office etc. It is a handlebar mount but has a light bar on it and is rock solid.

My 1999 Raleigh M50 (the only bike I have now) has a knock off Blackburn local rack on the rear. I affixed to it a black plastic produce basket of unknown origin. The basket makes the whole bike I have to say. It can carry 2 18'ers of beer... More than I need lol. I will try to get pics up of my "trash" bike. It was intended to be the runabout while I restored my Jamis Explorer (early 90s). But after a few weeks riding I just downsized to the one bike. I live car free in Spokane WA. The old style MTB makes a rock solid bike for these streets. Eventually it will get a fork upgrade (whether another suspension or something cool like the Crust Clydesdale is unknown) and trekking bars.

Glad to see some interesting options in this thread. I'm happy with Wald 585 baskets on more than one bike for many years. I attach them with stainless hose clamps, though I imagine that you could also use a bunch of plastic zip ties, so long as you watch to see if they are breaking or not.

Nice bike and basket. :thumb:

I have seen very reasonably priced baskets at Hobby Lobby last weekend while browsing with my wife. I was thinking of doing something like you've done there, but I am still exploring other possibilities. :)

Quality zip ties cost more, but they sure aren't as brittle as the cheapos from dollar stores. I think I spend about $9 per 100 at a local electrical/electronic store for good zip ties.

As much as I do use zip ties, I probably won't use them to hold a basket except for a trial fitting. But, you never know I might change my mind. :D

They work fine for me, if any break I replace them.

Indeed, the hope is that you notice that one of the zip ties breaks, before they all do.

Long ago I worked for a company that made molded plastic parts, and we conducted some of our product testing by literally putting stuff on the roof of our building for exposure to sunlight. I learned that black plastic fares better than the milky "natural" material. The black dyes prevent UV light from penetrating into the material.

Of course nothing lasts forever. I have a cable lock whose plastic covering literally shattered when I went to lock my bike at minus 20 degrees F this winter. I believe the combination of degradation from sunlight (a decade riding on my bike) and cold killed it. One thing it exposed is just how skinny the cable in a cheap cable lock is. The thick plastic covering acts like a magnifying glass, to make the cable look bigger than it actually is.

Also, I learned that if you use those stainless hose clamps, a bit of innertube rubber reduces rattling.

Same procedure and precautions apply to wheel spokes. Breakage isn't that hard to spot before it is a serious problem but replacement of broken zip ties is a lot easier.

I bought that same bike when I started a PhD. 1999 M50. Treated me well for a very long time.

Wald Folding Baskets
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3274fe35e9.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...db76af8855.jpg

That's a nice rig.

Now that makes me more pleased with my choice. I almost kept the Jamis instead. It was lighter...but that actually swayed my choice to the Raleigh. I trailer 2 kids...the chain stays on this are BEAST compared to most all other bikes. Made me feel safer for the kiddos.

That's a lot of baskets and basket experience. :thumb: